Christmas movies are the best and I will admit that I have been known to occasionally watch one even when it isn’t Christmas. I know – shocking!

For today’s Blogmas post (which may be a few days late – I couldn’t comment), I wanted to share my top 10 favourite Christmas movies. I had planned on doing a Top 10 post, but once I’d finished I realised I’d accidentally done 11! Whoops! I know everyone has such differing views on what makes a good Christmas movie but for what it’s worth – these are mine:

Miracle on 34th Street

When somebody mentions Christmas movies, the absolute first thing that pops into my head is Miracle on 34th Street. It is the absolute perfect Christmas film, from the opening scene of the Thanksgiving parade to the final scenes of Christmas bliss. It’s warm, cosy and you can almost smell the mulled wine and mince pies through the screen. It simply screams Christmas from start to finish. I’m not sure if I’ve seen the original movie, if I have I don’t remember, but if it’s anywhere near as good as this version then I really should give it a watch.

The Grinch (Who Stole Christmas)

Jim Carrey’s zany antics can be a little hit and miss in some films, but they perfectly compliment the kooky world of Dr Seuss. This is one Christmas film I could watch again – little Cindy Lou is SO cute. I love “Where Are You Christmas?” but still can’t quite believe she grew up to be Jenny from Gossip Girl!

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Although this list is in no particular order, if I had to choose one to top them all then it would be this one. In my eyes, you just don’t get better than The Muppet Christmas Carol. This is the perfect Christmas movie. It has comedy, drama, emotion. The songs are all brilliant and would fit completely in a stage musical. Michael Caine is flawless as Scrooge and works so well with the muppets that they blend together so well you almost forget that they aren’t real people. This is the only film I HAVE to watch over the Christmas holidays.

Yogi’s First Christmas

Extra points to you if you have ever seen, or even heard of Yogi’s First Christmasn. This is the first real Christmas film I remember and we used to watch it every year while we were putting up the Christmas tree. I did recently re-buy this film on DVD so hopefully I can restart that tradition with my kids soon.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

I’m not sure if Disney have made many other specific Christmas movies, but this is a little gem. It’s set during Belle’s stay at the Beast’s castle, before she breaks the curse. It features a few new characters, including an adorable little Christmas Angel and a new villain voiced by Tim Curry. The song “As Long As There’s Christmas” is a lovely Disney melody and the film creates a lovely extra chapter to the original movie.

The Polar Express

I didn’t actually get around to watching The Polar Express until after I had been on the 4D Polar Express experience at Drayton Manor theme park. I’d never been that bothered about the premise before, but after seeing clips in 4D I had to watch the whole thing. The animation is beautiful and the film is full of Christmas magic. At Drayton Manor, Santa even gave us one of the magical Christmas bells that feature in the movie, which always makes me smile when I see it on my tree.

Nativity!

Nativity! is another Christmas movie that it took me far too long to get around to watching. There are a number of sequels, all of which are pretty funny, but none of them quite match up to the first. A lot of the film was completely improvised, where cast members were given a basic plot line and told to roll with it. (I imagine those were the exact words.) The result is hilarious, especially with all of the children who are little gems and completely steal the show!

Home Alone 2

Home Alone 2, I hear you ask? Why not Home Alone? For one reason, my friends – that toy shop! You know the one I mean – that toy shop in Home Alone 2 is every child’s Christmas dream and that’s why I also prefer the sequel to the original. If you ignore the fact that the entire premise of this film franchise is absolutely horrific, these films are really funny and perfect for a Christmas movie night.

Gremlins

Gremlins?? Have you gone mad, Stacey, Gremlins isn’t a Christmas movie. Well, actually, I think it is. It’s set at Christmas time, there is an awesome scene where a Gremlin attacks from inside a Christmas tree and Gizmo is, off course, given as a Christmas gift. He’s so adorable too! Who wouldn’t want a Mogwii for Christmas? Although it has occurred to me that my children might be gremlins – they look really cute but once you get them wet and feed them they become tiny terrors. Post-bathtime can be a nightmare!

It’s also just occurred to me that I don’t actually have Gremlins on DVD. I may have to fix that this year.

Die Hard

Another unconventional choice but great if you’re more into kicking ass than singing carols. This is one of those films that is sure to be on telly at Christmas EVERY year – go on, check your TV guide. I bet you find it there. The original film is set at an office Christmas party that goes terribly wrong – although maybe that depends on how boring your Christmas party is!

It’s A Wonderful Life

Finally, I decided to go with a total classic that is almost certainly going to be on TV on Christmas Day. (It is this year – I checked!) It’s a Wonderful Life is guaranteed to make you grateful for the gifts that money can’t buy and have you running to hug all of your family members. This film is perfect for quiet Christmas afternoons while you let your dinner go down and it has a beautiful Christmas message for the whole family.

So there you have my top 11 Christmas movies. I’m sure I’ll see all of these over the Christmas period, some maybe more than once.

What are your must-see festive films? Do you agree with my choices or would you pick something completely different? Let me know in the comments below.